Tuesday, October 14, 2008

Creepy Comparison #42: The Playoffs Part V

After a last night's route of the sputtering Red Sox, I figure it's time for another Rays comparison. After all, this is their time in the spotlight, is it not? Fans might as well enjoy it too, because I'm sure we are in for an off-season filled with arbitration disagreements, cocky spending, and maybe even some overpaying for career-year relief pitching. But enough about that now, let's talk about Shane Mosley.

When Shane Mosley was in his prime, I didn't think anyone could beat him. Seriously, he was up there with the best from the last decade. Oscar de la Hoya? Fuck off, he had nothing on Sugar Shane. And until Mosley was upset by Vernon Forrest, he looked like he could string off 50 wins in a row.

But sadly, many of you don't know much about this man, do you? Because you prefer MMA, right? You like seeing men roll around on the floor for 20 minutes, interrupted only for the occasional exchange of blows, before returning to the ground. Can you smell the bitterness wafting from my pores? I hate MMA. I just can't get into it. I'll be the first to admit, I loved the UFC back in the 90's, it was a nice break from boxing. But now? Forget it. I'd rather watch kite-flying on ESPN 2. Two guys hammer-fisting each other in the eye while in a missionary position just doesn't do it for me.

And these sentiments translate fluently to how I feel about Carl Crawford. Alone and abandoned amidst the hoopla surrounding the 2008 Rays, Crawford's lost. This is the former face of the franchise. Now he's stuck in Evan Longoria's shadow even though he's endured 7 years of wrist-slitting seasons in Tampa Bay already. So much for loyalty. So much for being the good player on a team comprised of shit-bags.